During the plenary session of the SLEEP 2022, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) launched “Sleep Is Good Medicine,” a national campaign to increase public education about the importance of sleep and its connection to health.
In 2021, the AASM issued a position statement noting that sleep is essential to health and calling for greater emphasis on sleep health in education, clinical practice, inpatient and long-term care, public health promotion, and the workplace.
“This campaign will support the AASM vision that sleep is recognized as essential to health,” says Raman Malhotra, MD, a board-certified sleep medicine physician and professor in the department of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in a release. “Sleep is as important as nutrition and exercise for our health and well-being.”
“Sleep Is Good Medicine” will show how getting healthy sleep helps the body boost immunity, reduce stress, and work to lower the risk for many medical conditions, like diabetes and hypertension.
“We know that chronic insufficient sleep can have a detrimental impact on personal health and increase the risk of many diseases,” says Jennifer L. Martin, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist who is a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, in a release. “Healthy sleep is also important for mood regulation and mental health, helping to reduce the risk of problems such as anxiety and depression.”
Through “Sleep Is Good Medicine,” the AASM will work to elevate sleep as a key pillar of health—equivalent to nutrition and exercise. The campaign builds upon the AASM’s existing awareness efforts for the public and health care professionals, serving as a key initiative in addressing information gaps about the value of sleep.
The digital campaign will provide engaging content, including infographics and social media messages, to educate adults about healthy sleep and encourage people to talk to their doctor about their sleep concerns. The campaign also will provide tips and resources to support health care professionals in helping their patients improve their sleep health.
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